The Soultown! Volume III: Issue 8 AUGUST 2019 | Page 31

THE SANKOFA VOW My Dream is to be an iOS Developer REDWOOD CITY, CA - Many years ago, I chose a lifelong career in technology, specifically graphic design. I crossed my legs on my bed, closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and talked to my ancestors. I was convinced they left a burning torch and I was the chosen one to keep the flame lit. I have learned a plethora of skills, created projects, and even published newsletters and this publication, The Soultown International Magazine. I can remember whispering to the universe, asking God and the ancestors to help me land a career where my race -- including my physical characteristics, bone structure and skin, hair and eye color did not matter. I was specific, also requesting that my ethnicity -- referring to cultural factors, nationality, ancestry, and language were non-factors. The tech world and I were a match made in heaven. Recently, I have decided to become an iOS Developer. I’ve been an Apple user since the mid- 90s and combining the graphic skills, creative skills and Apple skills; I desired a shift in the enhancement of my tech skills. An iOS developer is responsible for developing applications for mobile devices powered by Apple’s iOS operating system. Ideally, a good iOS developer is proficient with one of the two programming languages for this platform: Objective-C or Swift. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. I was not prepared for the learning curve that left me second-guessing my abilities during the first 48 hours. My instructor is from the United Kingdom and appears to be half my age. His advice has motivated me to continue to strive for greatness. He suggests that great developers make coding a habit, more a routine in their lives. When I read this, I closed my laptop to digest his next piece of advice he offered: practice for one hour a day. He is convinced this is the number 1 rule for learning anything. If you can set aside one hour a day to focus exclusively on practicing iOS development, you’re guaranteed to make progress. I was already borrowing hours from my sleep schedule to complete daily tasks, and now I was considering learning to code that demanded a unique amount of time just to master. How am I going --------------------------------------------------------- I can remember whispering to the universe, asking God and the ancestors to help me land a career where my race -- including my physical charac- teristics, bone structure and skin, hair and eye color did not matter. --------------------------------------------------------- to make this happen? He responded, “It’s simple.” • Focus exclusively on iOS development in this hour, without distractions. • Set a timer for an hour, and stop when the timer goes off. • Get back to learning iOS development for one hour the next day. • When you miss a day, don’t worry, and pick it up again the next day. My point in sharing this story is he inspired me to continue to follow my dreams. If we are still in the land of the living, the Universal Creator has allowed us to do more, do something different and to do it now. I have a friend that wants to start his own t-shirt design company. His ideas are really good. However, he doesn’t have formal education or training, so he believes he cannot switch careers now; at the age of 40 to pursue his dream. I am sharing this story because he has been my greatest supporter in taking on this coding class and I’d like to return the favor. Research shows that our brains learn new information when we repeatedly expose ourselves to the learning material. You could say that practice makes permanent, so by consistently spending time to learn iOS development, I should be able to conquer this challenge someday, soon. I’ll keep you posted. The Sankofa Vow is my promise to my ancestors to return to the Motherland and retrieve what has been stolen from my ancestry via the trans -- Atlantic slave trade. My forefathers intended to leave seeds for us to return to gather, plant, cultivate and grow. These seeds can be reclaimed and retained by reading, watching, and discussing with our elders and also by traveling to our native continent of Africa, the Motherland. Ujamaa is the 4th Kwanzaa principle defined as Cooperative Economics in Swahili -- to build and maintain our stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. The spirit of Ujamaa lives through my professional development, my work with the youth and my community, I am committed to keeping The Sankofa Vow. I am Chillin’, Innovative Extraordinaire for The Soultown International Magazine. I’d like to thank all the iOS developers and App Inventors for having SOUL! , Learn more about the Sankofa Vow at http:// www.thesoultown.com/sankofa-vow.html Email me: [email protected]. Aug. 2019 • The Soultown International Magazine • Celebrating 2 years • Connecting Our Cultures to Our Cyber & Conscious Communities • thesoultown.com 31